Unacceptable
by JMaxwell
Summary: An eclectic series of small one-shots and drabbles set in the Inuyasha universe.
1. The End We Wanted

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. That privilege belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

A/N: Thanks to Forthright for the beta. Her patience and assistance was invaluable. Fenikkusuken goaded me into writing a lemon. This happens very rarely.

* * *

Kagome exhaled with a soft sigh as Inuyasha ran his mouth along her neck, alternating between small licks and brief tugs with his lips as he slowly worked his way down her body. An ever-so-light drag of his fangs across her collarbone caused her to smile and shudder slightly, and she could see his left ear twitch in the faint light shining through the floor-to-ceiling windows of their flat. She gently stroked behind it and nearly giggled at the moan of satisfaction that emanated from deep within his chest. He crawled up her body in a predatory fashion, sweat on his smooth skin gleaming in the dim glow from the surrounding high-rises.

Her lover languorously covered her lips with his own as he slid into her with a long, slow glide, and she whispered words of love and gratitude as he moved inside her. His actions were smooth and cautious, as if he was handling fine glass. Inuyasha never looked away from her eyes the entire time, even when he had to rub himself with slick oil from the bowl next to their bed. Without resting his full weight on her, he let his hair fall over her sides and allowed his chest to barely brush her skin. He touched her lips frequently with timid and chaste kisses, and his eyes sparkled with a wonder that she could never imagine bestowed on anyone else.

She couldn't help but moan in her gravelly alto as he skillfully used his intimate knowledge of her body, pulsing against her favorite places with excruciatingly slow strokes. There was no sense of completion in existence that matched the feeling of being joined with him, and she briefly closed her eyes in remembrance of their past experiences. A quick reprimanding nip to her ear brought her back to him, and he gave her a fanged grin. She smiled back, and mouthed the words, "I love you," with no sound behind them. Unable to face the emotions radiating from her face, he rested his chin over her shoulder and changed his angle slightly. A quiet, squeaking gasp was the token of his success, and her eyes glistened with tears as he kept moving. Before long, he tensed above her, pushing deep one last time before cradling her in his arms.

Sitting back against the headboard, Inuyasha eased her into his lap, pulling a warm comforter around them. He held her like that for a near-eternity, telling her how much she meant to him, how much he loved her and would miss her. Eventually her breathing faltered, her warmth faded, and he clutched Kagome to his heart as he cried, his silver hair tangling with her white. The darkness before dawn receded before the pink hues of sunrise; and as the morning light bathed them both, he clung to the knowledge that he _could_ be loved and greeted this new day, this new chapter in his life, with an optimism that was her final gift to him.


	2. Delegation

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. That privilege belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and various holding companies.

A/N: My thanks to Quillwing717 for putting this through the Desuckinator.

* * *

_To be an effective leader, you have to delegate._

Leaning back on two legs of her chair, Kagome stretched her arms with a yawn as she rolled that tidbit of school-mandated wisdom around in her mind, thankful Inuyasha hadn't bothered her since she'd sent him back to the village. She was a master delegator herself. She had to be, given the amount of tedious work in her little adventure.

In the modern era, Grandpa and Souta handled covert operations. The former leveraged his prestige as shrine priest to assuage the authorities, while the latter made sure friends never grew too suspicious. Mama handled logistics - always making sure to obtain and prepare the appropriate supplies.

In the feudal era, Kaede played the wizened healer and straight man, and Shippou the comic relief. Miroku was public relations, negotiation, and strategist for the group, while Sango was the experienced tactician. Inuyasha provided, protected, and, with Kirara, transported. Most importantly, he was her motivation for being there at all.

There was much to delegate. The quest was ninety-five percent boring busy work, and five percent trying not to die.

As for herself, modesty be damned, she was the leader. She held the group together so that all that must be done was done, without much resistance or complaint. Cupping her hands behind her head, she smugly considered this a moment more before flailing her arms and crashing backwards to the floor. An amused snort could be heard outside. "What would you do without me?"


	3. Haunting

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. That privilege belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and various holding companies.

Author's note: This was my submission to Forthrightly's Second Annual Halloween Drabble Challenge

* * *

He remembers the day he took her as his own. The slight resistance of the flesh in her neck before it gave. The metallic taste of her blood. The single happiest moment of his life. He could feel her nervousness and excitement match his own as they joined. Even now, he can picture her as if she was there in front of him.

Because she's always there.

He squeezes his eyes shut, but she's present in his mind. He looks elsewhere and she's still there, burned into his retinas as if he glanced directly at the sun. She's always there, and he always remembers that moment together.

He remembers how she didn't stop bleeding, no matter how furiously or desperately he lapped at the wound. He remembers how she cried out his name in pain and confusion until she grew cold and pale, then finally still. Worst of all, he remembers that final look of accusation before she slipped into never-ending sleep. She didn't understand. Neither did he. The bite was instinctive. He was compelled to do it, but something had gone terribly wrong. There was something he didn't do, couldn't do.

Her body is long gone but he still sees her exactly how she always used to be, except instead of love she stares at him mournfully, the image of her uniform marred with an enormous crimson stain. She was his companion and his love, and even now her presence prevents him from turning his claws on himself. She'll never leave him alone, but she will always make sure he is lonely.

He could never tell her family. The well was sealed.

He did tell his friends, but they didn't really listen. They couldn't see her as he could. They told him she was gone, and that he was hallucinating in his grief, and tormenting himself with his guilt. He refused their comfort, and their patience quickly ran out. Their affection had been burned away by the accident, and they quietly drifted out of his life, leaving him alone once again.

Yet never alone.

He sighs his millionth sigh, and looks straight at her. The accusation is still there. She stares back sadly, and mouths the words.

"I loved you."

Past tense. How many times can a man make a woman die hating him?

It was his curse as a hanyou. He had the instinct to bite, but not the power to see it through.

It would haunt him always.


	4. A Kazaana Christmas

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Inuyasha. That privilege belongs to Rumiko Takashi and various holding companies.

A/N: Demonlordlover and I challenged each other to write awful fics. She likes Sess/Kag stuff, so I had her write Sess/Kaede. I am a heterosexual male, so she had me write yaoi. I tried to get away with as little as possible, but it's there. This is your warning.

* * *

Miroku flexed the fingers of his right hand in front of his face, watching the discolored patch of skin on his palm stretch with each motion, contemplating how a few drinks always made the pattern seem more entertaining. Frequently, he found himself pondering the mysteries of the wind tunnel—more now than when he actually possessed it—and his sharp mind had inexorably completed the disturbing puzzle of its existence. A wasting disease would have had the same psychological terror, but Naraku had chosen to "curse" his family with a force capable of destroying large tracts of land with ease. Why place such a formidable weapon—quite literally—in your enemy's hand? The _kazaana_'s cyclonic winds had been turned against the dark hanyou and his minions time and time again. Assuming that Naraku was an individual of some intelligence, Miroku could only conclude that the wind tunnel had served him in some manner.

As it turned out, the _kazaana_ had been a direct portal into Naraku's soul. Any demon minions sucked inside were simply recycled, which he imagined Hakudoshi found particularly grating, and any independent demons were neatly added to Naraku's internal menagerie. It was absolute genius, which made Naraku's spectacularly absurd demise all the sweeter.

Miroku had been trapped in a cavity within the giant spider's body with no hope of escape, having watched Sango die before his eyes when she fell for the illusion of a cure to his deteriorating wind tunnel. Refusing to give Naraku the total despair the jewel craved, the perverted monk opted instead to die doing what he loved. He was tired of feeling like a stranger to himself with his left hand, so wind tunnel be damned, he was going to use his right.

As it turns out, Naraku, while evil, was a bit of a prude, and he picked the wrong man to gift another hole. Getting a bit aggressive, Miroku pushed the sealing beads off his cursed hand and felt a brief tug as the vacuum pulled in his turgid glory. Before he could even consider the end of his existence, his hand had sealed with a sharp pain, taking his pride with it. Moments later, the room was filled with a cacophony of shrieking as the fleshy walls around him literally began to melt away. Naraku could absorb many things, but the sheer force of the monk's perversion was not one of them. He'd finally achieved his dream of dismembering the monk, but as with the wishes of anyone possessing the jewel, it was twisted in a way he'd never expected. The joke for the next century would be that the dark hanyou had literally died of embarrassment.

* * *

Miroku set his hand back on the bottle at his side and stared at the meat cooking over the fire. While his skin ship had saved the day, it would never again find safe harbor in a tuna port. He was now a eunuch—a true adherent to the most ascetic traditions of his faith. A year had passed to the day since he'd lost the best part of himself to Naraku's darkness and he knew he brooded too much, but he tried not to forget he wasn't the only one suffering.

A small, one-sided grin creased his face as he watched Inuyasha land lightly on the ground next to the fire, grabbing a skewer and stuffing its load entirely into his mouth without waiting for it to cool. Inuyasha didn't know what happened to Kagome, his transformation in progress when Naraku was killed, and all traces of her scent obliterated by the waterfall of spider bits that rained down upon them. The jewel was gone. She was gone. The well was closed. Life moved on.

He mourned her in his way, and the anniversary was not lost on him either. Inuyasha had insisted on regaling him earlier with stories of how Kagome loved this time of year because of a holiday celebrating the execution of a fat old man by nailing him to a fir tree for forgiveness. It apparently was a season for gifts, and Inuyasha startled Miroku now by asking him what he would want.

Perhaps it was the sake he'd been drinking to keep warm, but Miroku's response was uncharacteristically unevasive and wistful. "I would simply like to feel the pleasure of being a man again." He looked down mournfully at his crotch and sighed.

Inuyasha's response was completely characteristic in its bluntness, "I don't think that's going to happen any time soon," he pointed out. "You don't have the equipment."

Miroku scowled at him for a bit, but then was moved by need and by drink to alter the course of his consideration. After a thoughtful moment or two, he spoke in a low, conspiratorial voice, "Actually, Inuyasha, soldiers have long since discovered a way to take pleasure in each others' company and keep warm at the same time."

The hanyou raised an eyebrow quizzically. "Really, how's that?"

Miroku grinned lasciviously, and explained it to him. Inuyasha's reaction was...not good. Three more cups of low-quality sake later, and it still was not good. Three more, combined with some well placed talk about loneliness, Kagome, and his sacrifice in defeating Naraku, and the monk got a more willing response.

"Well… hell. Kagome did say it was better to give than receive," muttered the hanyou. "Guess this is your lucky day, monk. Since you're the only asshole that'll talk to me nowadays, I'll do _your_ asshole," Inuyasha offered magnanimously, beginning to disrobe.

_Where's the romance?_' passed sardonically through Miroku's mind before he was carried away by the flood of ethanol in his bloodstream. He shrugged himself out of his clothes, shivering as much from the cool winter air as the anticipation of rediscovering sexual gratification, even at the inexpert hands of his hanyou friend. _Beggars cannot be choosers._'

The two of them huddled together for a moment, before Inuyasha asked in a quiet voice, "So, uh…"

"Think about Kagome," interrupted Miroku, suddenly serious. "All the things you loved about her. I'll do the same with Sango."

"Might work," he admitted. Inuyasha's face took on a faraway look, darkening to a degree that couldn't be explained away by sake. As it became pressingly apparent that the monk's suggestion was working surprisingly well, Miroku braced himself, and the drunken hanyou shuffled into position. Awkward hands grasped his hips, and long hair brushed across his back as Inuyasha lined himself up with his entrance.

"Merry Kurissmas, pervert," Inuyasha slurred with an almost resigned sigh.

"Merry Christmas, InuyaAAAAAAAAA!"


	5. One True Pairing

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. That is the privilege of Rumiko Takahashi and various holding companies.

* * *

**One True Pairing**

The monk reached out with curs'ed hand  
To seize some luscious contraband.  
His target sighed, "Is it a stretch  
To keep your hands away, you lech?  
This isn't just a stupid gripe  
'Cause honestly you're not my type."  
The monk fell in a sorry funk  
As his rejected manhood shrunk.

"My woman!" crowed the bold wolf-man.  
"You are the best one in Japan.  
So come with me back to my den.  
The mutt can visit now and then."  
The girl just sighed, "You're very dense  
'Cause anyone with common sense  
Could see that while you're quite forthright  
I'd much prefer you out of sight."

"I need a teacher fit for Rin,"  
The youkai said, to her chagrin.  
"This taiyoukai will deign to take  
The weakness of a mortal mate."  
The woman sighed, "Your words, kind sir  
_And hair_ and upright character  
While something to appreciate  
Just won't quite suit me for a date."

To get those guys to take a hint  
Was quite a big accomplishment,  
And as she ran back to the well  
She stopped; she heard a frantic yell.  
It was her favorite hanyou friend  
Who was so easy to offend.  
She turned to watch his quick approach  
And stopped him with a brief reproach.

"Now 'sit' and listen to me speak!  
You've always said I was too weak.  
But now I'm showing you I'm strong  
By saying "us" is simply wrong.  
For years you've been so frickin' slow  
And girls still have their needs, you know;  
So while you've opted to be shy  
I've found my fingers get me by."

* * *

An epic "thank you" to Forthright , who literally spent 2 hours explaining what syllables in words were accented and which ones are not. Another epic one to Licentia Poetica , who picked it apart with painstaking detail, twice, and made a number of excellent suggestions (saved the third stanza) in addition to whipping me several times while wearing a dominatrix uniform. Thanks to Alterfano, Patchcat, InuSaga, and Angelica Pierce for their kind suggestions as well. This was very much a group effort. All remaining mistakes and omissions are my own.


	6. Rush Job

A/N: This was my entry for iyissekiwa, an LJ drabble community that I help moderate (please check us out). It tied for third place, which I mention for the irony that the theme was "Ties".

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Inuyasha. That privilege belongs to Rumiko Takashi and various holding companies.

* * *

The bedroom was filled with labored breathing, grunting, and the sound of shredding fabric as Kagome forcefully pushed Inuyasha back onto her bed, glaring at the strips of silk that hung from his claws. "Inuyasha! Do you have any idea how expensive those are?" she scolded. With narrowed eyes, she set herself astride the hanyou and tore into another plastic package.

"It's not my fault they tear so easy," he retorted, warily eyeing the item in her hands as the wrapping was tossed aside. "Why do I gotta wear that thing, anyway?" he complained, propping himself up on his elbows for a better look. Kagome briefly wrapped her arms around his neck, but then shoved him back into the mattress.

"Because if you don't, we're not doing anything tonight."

"Do you have to put it on me? This is embarrassing," he grumbled.

"Too bad. You'd tear it with your claws, and this is the last one." She gifted him with a gentle smile and slowly worked her hands. "Just lie there and let me do this for you." A glance at the clock elicited a gasp, and her soft touch quickly escalated to furious tugging.

"Are you trying to kill me? You're pulling it too hard," grunted Inuyasha as Kagome leaned over him to get more leverage. She quickly finished, and he lifted her off him as he stood, scowling.

She took a moment to appraise him and straightened his tie once more before dragging him out the door.


	7. HoHum

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

A/N: This is a short entry for Forthright's "Perfect Compliment" challenge. Rules are simple. In 100 words, write the perfect compliment.

* * *

A Compliment

Suddenly detached from its tail, the stinger of the giant scorpion sailed harmlessly overhead to crash into the cliff face instead of Inuyasha's torso. Kagome lowered the bow to her side, a grin breaking out across her face even before Hiraikotsu gave the scorpion's head a similar fate. She startled as she felt a slight weight clamber up her body to stop on her shoulder. "That was a great shot, Kagome!" the kitsune loudly said right in her ear, prompting a wince. Both Miroku and Sango chimed in with similar sentiments, and even Inuyasha graced her with a respectful nod.

* * *

An Awesome Compliment

Kagome sighed as she targeted the demon crow carrying her pack. _I've been here before'_ she thought with annoyance, grimacing from the pressure as the bowstring twanged. The light surrounding the shaft vanished as the arrow passed cleanly through a split in a tree and then the canopy of branches. Reigniting as it cleared the foliage, it sang sweetly before annihilating the bird in a pink explosion. Nobody noticed the shower of brown and crimson flecks that rained upon them as they stared at the schoolgirl in awed silence as she just admired the charred feathers drifting slowly to earth.

* * *

The Perfect Compliment

When a fragment of Naraku flew off with the screaming kitsune, Kagome didn't hesitate to grab her bow. There was no concern for the swirling winds as she pulled back on the fletching, nor was there chanting for the arrow to hit as its streak chased the dot on the horizon the target had become. A small poof in the distance followed by a pink balloon floating gently to the ground was the only indication she'd made a shot that would be considered miraculous by any standard, but her friends simply carried on with their struggles without a second glance.


	8. So Be It

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. That privilege belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and various holding companies.

Author's note: I decided to write as realistic a Sess/Kag as I could come up with…in drabble form. My sincere gratitude to Demonlordlover for her excellent beta work.

* * *

Kagome stumbled backwards in surprise. "No offense, Sesshoumaru-sama, but you're about the last person on earth I'd want to, uh, mate." Her hand unconsciously wandered to the empty space at her throat where the jewel had once hung, and her expression saddened. Since her wish to get Inuyasha back had failed, she just wanted to return home.

Unimpressed by the emotional display, her suitor dryly announced, "I will not be denied," before streaking into the sky. Kagome puzzled over this strange coda to her feudal travels, but said her last goodbyes and made her way to the well. Sesshoumaru watched her departure from a distance with an uncharacteristically feral grin.

Confusion distracted Kagome from her grief when the daylight surrounding her didn't fade as much as usual after her passage through time. The absence of a well-house roof unnerved the young woman and she wondered what could have happened. Worry made her arms shaky as she hauled herself up the vines growing on the side of the well, and as her fingers gripped the rim, a clawed hand wrapped around her wrist and pulled her out. Twice in ten minutes, Kagome found herself stumbling back in surprise as she beheld the somewhat smug visage of Sesshoumaru. "Huh? Wha- what are you doing here?" she stammered, her brows furrowing and heart racing as she noticed the lack of any other structures or people. For a moment it seemed she was still in the past, but Sesshoumaru's armor was radically different and a frantic glance at the surroundings revealed evidence that this was indeed the future, though not as she remembered it. "Where is everyone?"

"Irrelevant. Are you prepared to join this Sesshoumaru?" he asked condescendingly.

"What? No. I already told you…"

"That I was the last man on earth you'd want to mate." He looked at his hand, flexing his claws idly. "Well, now I am."


	9. Blanket of Dreams

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. That privilege belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and various holding companies.

Author's Note: This was written for InuErotica's "Shiver" challenge, which is why the word shiver is overused so much. It also happens to be the first fic I put into the public domain, and it's smut. Well, sorta.

* * *

There was an early freeze in Japan, at least at that time in the past, and it caught the two off guard as they returned to the well after leaving their friends at the tajiya village. Kagome's chronically insufficient wardrobe was now a liability, as Inuyasha's fire-rat had yet to restore itself completely from the miasma burns it took in the final battle with Naraku.

To protect her from the cold, he had intertwined himself with her. He gazed into her eyes, his love for her evident. Her mouth opened slightly in a smile, and he closed the distance with his own. Clothes were slowly discarded, the direct contact of warm skin more than making up for the loss in insulation. He ran his claws gently down her back and up her thighs, causing a shiver to run up her spine at the subtle prickling sensation they left behind. No inch of her body was left uncaressed.

Shy at first, they explored each other languidly, then more heatedly, until finally, he was lined up against her, and she shivered in anticipation. With a snap of his hips, he buried himself deep inside her. The breaching of her barrier was accompanied by a rush of pleasure that made her shiver in delight as he established a steady rhythm of long, deep strokes, as he whispered his love for her repeatedly in her ear.

Time almost stood still, the cold long forgotten, as the coil wound tighter and tighter until finally, on one particularly deep thrust…..

Kagome sat bolt upright, her sleeping bag falling from her bare torso, exposing her to the cool morning air. She shivered, and looked to the warm body of her new lover, as she reflected with a warm smile, "It wasn't a dream."

Turning to snuggle against him, she winced at the sharp pain between her legs, and noticed the red stains around her and on her from the numerous shallow claw marks on her skin. This time, she expressed her thoughts aloud in a soft groan that was nearly drowned out by his snoring.

"Never mind, it definitely was."


	10. Cycle

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. That privilege belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and various holding companies.

A/N: This was written as an entry for the iyficcontest Starting Over theme. That should inform your reading of this drabble.

* * *

'_First I'm stuck here, and now this,'_ Inuyasha grumbled to himself as he faced off on the school roof against a strange opponent – Inuyasha.

The noticeably older Inuyasha didn't seem to be in an aggressive stance, and just began to distort and waver in an odd way as he continued shouting instructions. He picked up something about protecting Kagome before his alter-ego disappeared with an odd popping noise, leaving nothing behind. Deciding the coast was clear, and realizing that school had ended during his encounter, he turned to head back to the shrine.

"Don't let her remove the rosary before you fight Goshinki." Back stiffening at the sound of his own voice, he turned at another popping sound to see nothing. He sprinted off, jumping through some trees and onto the roof of a store when he was grabbed by another red-clad arm. He turned to slash at it, but the older version of himself stepped back deftly.

"Give her your suikan when battling Renkotsu." Another pop.

"Let her hold you in the ogre," came in an alley. "Don't let her drink the sake," was said in a tree. He sprinted faster, determined to get back to his time, relieved when he was left alone through a final sprint across two roofs, the park, and the hill by the shrine.

Eleven months later, staring at the broken body of Kagome, he began his refrain of the next 499 years. "Tentacles from the ground. Meet me in the park. Tentacles. Park."


	11. Christmas Drabble

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. That privilege belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and various holding companies.

Author's Note: This was written for InuGrrrl's 12 Days of Christmas Drabble series. She didn't like my insufficiently fluffy ending, so I had to change it to _brazen fan-service_. It's sappy and schmaltzy and I'm putting it here because I put all my stuff here, but no tears will be shed if you continue on.

* * *

You can find the entire series at her site Absolution. She did lovely narration for all of it.

There was snow on the ground at the Higurashi Shrine, but it didn't make for a beautiful white Christmas. Thousands of visitors cramming the grounds for tours during the preceding week had ground the snow into a grayish, slushy pulp that made the overcast December skies look pleasant by comparison.

Kagome set her stuffed yellow backpack on a relatively clear patch on one of the top steps, chest heaving as she gripped a knee with one hand and her side with another. She'd been wishing all day that Inuyasha was around to help her with the bag, or just around at all. The place where the jewel had been reinserted after its completion ached. She figured it was from the cold.

She replaced the pack on her shoulders, and worked her way up the past few steps with a look of determination as she slowly made her way through the soggy mess towards a shed at a corner of the grounds.

Her brother bounded out of the house with a soccer ball, sliding a bit on a patch of ice but managing to stay upright as he came to a stop near her.

"I thought you'd be used to carrying that thing around by now?" he said in note of her awkward gait.

Any vestige of Kagome's smile was immediately erased as she responded, "I didn't have to walk much with it." Any further exploration of those memories was set to the side as she approached the middle-aged woman shoveling snow away from the shed door.

"Ah, Kagome, thank you so much for getting those decorations for me," the woman said, leaning the implement against the wall to open the door.

"No trouble. It was nice to finally get out for awhile," Kagome responded with a brightness that didn't reach her eyes. Once again, she wished Inuyasha was with her, and once again gripped her side, grimacing a bit at the suddenly empty feeling.

Her mother had an inexplicable expression of mirth at the forced-smile on her daughter's face, understanding full well why her healthy daughter had not felt like wandering around since returning from the Feudal Era.

"Well, just clear a space for them in the shed, dear, and be careful. There are some things in there that are precious to all of us."

Kagome nodded and stepped inside the shed, dragging the bag behind her. She slowly twisted it around in front of her in time to be confronted with a sight she'd been prepared to never see again.

At her current eye level, placed around a misshapen blanket-covered lump was a set of black beads interspersed with fang-shaped stones. Kagome's breath hitched as recognition of the object slowly set in, and she reached out slowly to rub the beads as recognition fully set in. She grasped it lightly in her hands, slowly lifting it off the cloth as her mother stepped into the shed behind her. Kagome turned to look incredulously at the older woman, tears now brimming in both of their eyes.

"When did you get this? Did you know he wouldn't make it back?" Kagome intoned quietly, her mother strangely unaffected by the look of accusation directed her way. Instead, the woman smiled at her daughter and said, "You got your wish. Merry Christmas, Kagome."

"Merry Christmas?" Kagome's eyes blazed with confused fury. "I can't believe you wommmph." She heard the sound of falling cloth behind her moments before she was suddenly dragged backwards into the place the rosary had been by a clawed hand over her mouth and an arm wrapped around her waist.


	12. Vacuum

A haiku written for iypoems.

* * *

**Vacuum**

He explained his curse

But she didn't run away

She just said, "That sucks."


	13. No Place Like Home

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Rumiko Takahashi does.

A/N: This was written for iyissekiwa's Storm theme.

* * *

To Kagome's dismay, the winds continued to howl louder with the intensity of an approaching train. She hugged a whimpering Shippou to her chest, trying to drown out the noise for him, but the hut they were stuck in continued to creak and sway in the storm. _'I hope everyone's okay out there,'_ she worried, cursing once again the agreement among her friends that she wouldn't be much help reinforcing the village levy against the rising water.

Rain spattered on them through the poorly insulated walls, which began to visibly twist against the gale until the entire structure upended with stomach-lurching force. Kagome screamed, shielding the kitsune's head as debris flew about the enclosed space. She felt an immense force lifting them up as a cooking pot collided with her forehead and everything went black.

* * *

Kagome woke to a cool towel being placed against her forehead. Groaning with pain, she opened her eyes to meet the concerned, dark gaze of a human Inuyasha. "You had a rough spill, there. We thought you wouldn't wake up," he said in a twang as he chewed on a piece of wheat.

"It was a dream," she said quietly, clutching her stuffed fox to her body. Her confusion cleared, and the world was once again in black and white. "It was so strange! You were there. Cousins Marco and Sandra, too. Granny Katie, and even Ship-Dip here, though he was a little boy!"

Kagome spent all day excitedly talking about her fantastic adventure.


	14. Tender Moments

Warnings: This is dark.

Thanks: InuGrrrl rocked out hardcore as beta, as she's wont to do, and Quillwing717 batted cleanup.

A/N: As a one-time thing, I wrote this for iyhedonism as a challenge to someone who wanted to beat me in a contest. She then didn't enter the damn thing, so it was a complete and total waste of my time. You know who you are, Teasy McTimewaster.

Well, not a total waste. I got some good comments, and they're reflected in the final document.

* * *

"Please no," she pleaded.

Blood-soaked talons delicately drifted along her cheek, leaving a trail that trickled down her breasts. She cried out, tearing her gaze away from lust-dilated irises as his other hand clenched her arm in a punishing grip. A dark strain spread as his rough handling drove shards of the fang that had once protected her deeper into the flesh of her arms.

She'd have to be her own protector now, and her instincts told her to run. Yet, her heart told her to honor her promise to stay. She knew she should try to recapture the soul of the hanyou she'd grown to so deeply care for.

_Shouldn't she?_

She sighed. _Yes._

* * *

"Gods no," she implored.

Frantically struggling to free herself, she twisted and pushed fruitlessly against his chest. "Stop!" she begged.

He buried his nose in the crook of her neck, breathing in the scent of her terror with a satisfied sigh.

His claws rent her clothing like tissue paper, but merely left pale streaks on her flushed skin. The feel of her naked flesh made his body rumble with satisfaction. He crushed her against him; the feel of his length pressed to her thigh coaxed a squeak from her lips, but he extinguished the sound with an open-mouthed kiss and a brutal thrust.

Tears rolled down her cheek as her hopes for a beautiful first time faded away. She was left with the reality of her thighs roughly suspended by his hands as he plunged in and out of her at a merciless pace.

She had to protect them both, now. She would endure this and get him back…

_Wouldn't she?_

She cried. _Yes._

* * *

"No," she whispered.

"You'll learn to like it," he promised, and took her once again. His claws gripped her hair as he drew her face to his, her back arching painfully, shoulders scraping the unforgiving cave floor of their home. She could see his fangs bared at her in a mockery of affection. Her fear just seemed to make him harden further. She could only submit as he savagely rode her into the ground, pushing dangerously against the life within her womb. His inhuman howl marked his release, and he rested his chin upon her shoulder, absently lapping at her neck.

These moments of tenderness reminded her...

The sound of their sticky flesh separating prefaced the searing burn as he advanced, filling her once more to the hilt. She whimpered. He smirked.

…reminded her that she loved him.

_Didn't she?_

She died inside. _Yes._

* * *

"No more," she whimpered.

Chuckling darkly, he flipped her into her back, heedless of the way his sweat-soaked skin stung the wounds borne from months of captivity. "You'll always forgive me," he breathed, digging his clawed toes into the earth for better leverage. "You'll always be mine." Relishing the way she milked him dry, he closed his eyes and ground her into the rocky soil, oblivious to the pink light gathering in her hands at his back. He smugly breathed, "Won't you?"

She lied. "Yes."


End file.
